The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-06-24
THOSE REBEL FLAGS.

New York Tribune: The President be
lieves that one good turn deserves an
other. He has ordered the War De
partment to return to the once REBEL
ious states the flags captured by the I'm
ion armies in the war. He expects the
solid South to fly to the Cleveland flag
In return next year.
Toledo Blade: The people of Ohio are
forgetting the war-that is, they are for.
getting all that should pass from mind
concerning the struggle; but they do moi
forget, nor will they, that it was an at.
tempt of armed treason to destroy the
Nation; nor are they willing that these
flags, mute testimonials to the heroism
oftheir w-Ohioans, shall be turned
over to the states once in rebellion.
st. Paul Pioneer Press: The President
seems to have acted somewhat beyond
his powers when he ordered the cap
tured Confederate battle flags to be re-
turned to the Southern States, from
whose regiments they were taken. The
President has no more right to give away
this property than he has to give away
small arms and cannon. 1t requires
Congressional action to make such trans
fer. The President has Numbered bad
| ly.
Rochester Democrat: We are to sur
render everything, even our memories.
No wonder that in view of this new Cos
pei of peace, which commands the emas-
culation of Northern manhood, that the
soldiers of the rebellion should be at a
white heat of anger against the truculent
President. They would be unworthy OF
themselves were they not incensed be-
yond all measure. And with their feel
ing all truly loyal men will sympathize,
Indianapolis Nea0s lind, Dem.): Mr..
Cleveland has made great mistake
how great need not be predicted. If he
knows what is good for himself he will
recall this order. A century hence this
sort of thing may possibly be done, al
though it is difficult to see why it should
ever be done. AS quoted above they
represent no country and, as the prop.
erty of the government, the men from
whom they were captured have their
share of ownership in them; so this pro.
posed performance wears such an air Of
extra servility that, fconsummated, il
will be many year before the conse-
quences will be ended.
Hartford Courant: Returned to whomf
Returned to what? They 1.-THE rebel fiags]
were captured from men acting under the
pretended authority of rebellious or.
carnations that temporarily overthrow
the governments of certain states and
usurped their functions and made wal
upon the National Government. These
organizations were wiped out twenty
two years ago. They have utterly dis
appeared from the face of the land. Vir-
ginia and Texas and the other common
wealths concerned are states of the
American Union, under the same Con-
stitution and the same flag as Massachu-
sets and Connecticut. The Southern
Confederacy, so-called, died interstate
and without heirs. We yield to no one
in cordial appreciation of the bravery OF
our misguided countrymen who fought
on the wrong side in that war. We ear
nestly desire the realization Of that more
perfect union, based on universal free.
dom and justice, on the sense of COM
mon nationality, and on loyal obedience
to common Constitution. We shall
continue to do all in our power to has.
ten its coming. But that in one affair.
Vote seeking by trucking subserviency
to the ideas and the history represented
by Mr.. Jefferson Davis is another.